Field Of Consumer Research Research Articles

Evaluating Dual Process Decision-Making Along the PrEP Consumer Journey: New Insights for Supporting PrEP Use.

With the rise of new and emerging Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) modalities, greater attention is needed to better understand how people who could benefit from PrEP make decisions to initiate, stop, pause, or switch PrEP regimens. In this study we borrow from the field of consumer research to create a consumer-derived PrEP Consumer Journey Model that describes key decision-making touchpoints a PrEP consumer moves through within and outside of a clinical context. Using in-depth interviews (n = 29) with gay and bisexual men who have sex with men, we evaluate which system 1 (emotional) and system 2 (cognitive) attributes are used for decision-making at different touchpoints along the PrEP Consumer Journey. Our results suggest system 1 attributes, such as feeling protected, reducing anxiety, enhancing pleasure, social norms, and taking ownership over health were more salient when consumers moved from pre-contemplation to information gathering, as well as evaluating post-uptake experience. System 2 attributes, including cost, side effects, dosing schedule, and sexual frequency, were present throughout the PrEP Consumer Journey, but particularly influential in the information gathering stage and when pausing, switching, or opting out of PrEP. We contend the PrEP Consumer Journey, and our findings related to decision-making, can help orient medical providers to anticipated patient concerns around PrEP use and ultimately provide more supportive and engaging PrEP counseling and services.

دراسة تحليلية لسلوك المستهلك في الأسواق الحديثة

Quantitative research methods are crucial in understanding consumer behavior in modern markets. These methods involve collecting and analyzing numerical data to uncover patterns, trends, and correlations related to consumer preferences and choices. Researchers can gain insights into consumer identity, values, taste, consumption experiences, and even topics such as invisible brands, material culture, and fetishes in contemporary consumption by utilizing statistical models. Additionally, quantitative research methods allow for the examination of consumer sentiment, brand engagement, and market maven behavior, providing valuable information for marketers and businesses. The application of quantitative research methods in consumer behavior studies not only enhances our understanding of consumer preferences but also enables the integration of past findings with new observations, driving advancements in the field of consumer research. This integration is essential for effectively capturing the dynamic nature of consumer behavior, especially in response to global events and societal changes.

The evolving field of consumer research through the lens of its top journals

The evolving field of consumer research through the lens of its top journals

Differentiating the Attitude-Behavior Gap: A Consumer Typology

While most studies in the field of consumer research acknowledge differences between consumption patterns of distinct consumer groups, research dealing with the attitude-behavior gap has hitherto not been sufficiently linked with these findings. As a result, attitude-behavior gap has been often conceptualized as a uniform phenomenon for all consumer groups leaving variances across distinct groups largely unexplored. Based on a representative survey (N=1000) among German consumers, this paper challenges this assumption and presents five consumer clusters with different attitude-behavior gaps related to distinct demographic and socio-psychological characteristics. This typology enables analyzing the determinants of the attitude-behavior gap across different social groups and allows for more differentiated empirical research and managerial analysis. The findings contribute to the ethical consumption literature in that they differentiate applied ethics across distinct consumer groups as well as to the broader consumer research by demonstrating the relationship between individual characteristics and distinct attitude-behavior gaps.

The Impact of Algorithmic Price Discrimination on Consumers' Perceived Betrayal.

With the development of artificial intelligence technology, data support is increasing in importance, as are problems such as information disclosure, algorithmic discrimination and the digital divide. Algorithmic price discrimination occurs when online retailers or platforms charge experienced consumers who are purchasing products on their online platforms higher prices than those charged to new consumers for the same products at the same time. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of algorithmic price discrimination on consumers’ perceived betrayal. This paper employed a field experimental method involving two studies. In total, 696 questionnaires were distributed to consumers: 310 for Study 1 and 386 for Study 2. The collected data were analyzed using variance analysis and process analysis methods and SPSS software. Our findings suggest (1) Increased algorithmic price discrimination leads to increased perceived betrayal. (2) Increased algorithmic price discrimination leads to lower perceived price fairness and therefore to increased perceived betrayal among consumers. (3) Higher perceived ease of use of online retailers decreases the impact of algorithmic price discrimination on consumers’ perceived betrayal. We are a small group of researchers focusing on algorithmic price discrimination and integrating algorithmic discrimination into the consumer research field. Our research introduces the concept of consumer perceived betrayal to the field of artificial intelligence. We adopt a field experimental study to examine the impact of algorithmic price discrimination on consumers’ perceived betrayal by introducing variables of perceived price fairness and perceived ease of use.

Forty‐five years of International Journal of Consumer Studies: A bibliometric review and directions for future research

AbstractThe International Journal of Consumer Studies (IJCS) is a distinguished 45‐year‐old peer‐reviewed international journal in the field of multidisciplinary consumer research. This paper takes stock of the work published since 1977 (n = 2088) and examines the impact of published research by applying network analysis technique using VOSviewer. In particular, it examines the overall citations received, the most cited papers and authors and their contributions to the field of consumer research. The advancement of research in the field of consumer research is discussed and directions for future research is provided to undertake novel research.

Conducting a Netnography in Second Language Acquisition Research

AbstractIn this Methods Showcase Article, we highlight a qualitative research methodology called netnography, an adaptation of ethnography and ethnographic methods applied to researching digital/online communities. We briefly discuss how netnography has evolved from its origins in the fields of consumer research and marketing to its more recent applications in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) for exploring phenomena related to online language teaching and learning. Next, we focus on the specific methods and techniques associated with conducting a netnography, and we propose numerous considerations for SLA researchers who wish to adopt the methodology in future studies. These considerations include various issues such as the recruitment of research participants (e.g., obtaining consent), researcher positioning (e.g., emic perspectives, ethics), the analysis of online multimodal data, and general reporting practices (e.g., protecting participants’ identities). Finally, we close with specific recommendations for future research directions.

Analysis of Scientific Production on Transformative Consumer Research and Transformative Service Research

Abstract Transformative Consumer Research (TCR) has emerged to fill the gaps and overcome fragmentation in the field of consumer research in the well-being domain. This movement gave rise to Transformative Service Research (TSR), which is aimed at identifying and evaluating the well-being effects arising from the services. The objective of this paper was to map the scientific production on TCR and TSR, based on a bibliometric analysis and a content analysis of a sample consisting of 114 studies available in the Scopus, SciELO and SPELL databases. Our study offers a map of the most productive journals and authors, the most impactful studies and an analysis of thematic categories and some network analyses. The results show a slight increase in the interest on the topic, which indicates the need for intensified research in the field, especially focused on areas of study such as economic vulnerability, obesity, alcohol and drug consumption, individuals with physical disabilities, environmental practices, and adoption of sustainable strategies, technology and social services. In the Brazilian context, we identified the need to disseminate the themes in the academic field, that is, postgraduate programs in marketing area, scientific journals and conferences. Finally, our study is considered a call for a change in the perspectives of researchers and journal reviewers in the field of consumer studies.

Analysis of Scientific Production on Transformative Consumer Research and Transformative Service Research

Abstract Transformative Consumer Research (TCR) has emerged to fill the gaps and overcome fragmentation in the field of consumer research in the well-being domain. This movement gave rise to Transformative Service Research (TSR), which is aimed at identifying and evaluating the well-being effects arising from the services. The objective of this paper was to map the scientific production on TCR and TSR, based on a bibliometric analysis and a content analysis of a sample consisting of 114 studies available in the Scopus, SciELO and SPELL databases. Our study offers a map of the most productive journals and authors, the most impactful studies and an analysis of thematic categories and some network analyses. The results show a slight increase in the interest on the topic, which indicates the need for intensified research in the field, especially focused on areas of study such as economic vulnerability, obesity, alcohol and drug consumption, individuals with physical disabilities, environmental practices, and adoption of sustainable strategies, technology and social services. In the Brazilian context, we identified the need to disseminate the themes in the academic field, that is, postgraduate programs in marketing area, scientific journals and conferences. Finally, our study is considered a call for a change in the perspectives of researchers and journal reviewers in the field of consumer studies.

Translating a bright and noisy experience: videography for tourism research

The aim of this paper is to introduce videography as a valuable approach for collecting data, supporting theory-building and disseminating results in tourism research. Visual research is a powerful approach that has been intensively used in the main field of consumer research but surprisingly less often in a tourism context. However, most tourist behaviours and experiences are ‘bright and noisy’ and cannot be fully translated by written productions. This is why we present videography as a research tool in its own right, opening new dimensions to qualitative research. This article aims to discuss the advantages and limitations of video and demonstrates why it is worthwhile to tourism studies. It also explains the steps involved in the production of a video and illustrated by a 20-minute video on tourist souvenirs.

Improving Patient Preference Elicitation by Applying Concepts From the Consumer Research Field: Narrative Literature Review.

BackgroundAlthough preference research finds its origins in consumer research, preference elicitation methods have increasingly attracted attention in different decision-making contexts in health care. Simulating real-life decision making is believed to be important during consumer preference elicitation.ObjectiveThe aims of this study were to compare the process of decision making between patients and consumers and to identify methods from the consumer research field that could be applied in patient preference elicitation.MethodsA narrative literature review was performed to identify preference elicitation concepts from a consumer context that could offer improvements in health care.ResultsThe process of decision making between patients and consumers was highly comparable. The following five concepts from the consumer research field that could effectively simulate a real-life decision-making process for applications in health care were identified: simulating alternatives, self-reflection, feedback-driven exploration, separated (adaptive) dual response, and arranging profiles in blocks.ConclusionsOwing to similarities in the decision-making process, patients could be considered as a subgroup of consumers, suggesting that preference elicitation concepts from the consumer field may be relevant in health care. Five concepts that help to simulate real-life decision making have the potential to improve patient preference elicitation. However, the extent to which real decision-making contexts can be mimicked in health care remains unknown.

Creating Boundary-Breaking, Marketing-Relevant Consumer Research

Consumer research often fails to have broad impact on members of the marketing discipline, on adjacent disciplines studying related phenomena, and on relevant stakeholders who stand to benefit from the knowledge created by rigorous research. The authors propose that impact is limited because consumer researchers have adhered to a set of implicit boundaries or defaults regarding what consumer researchers study, why they study it, and how they do so. The authors identify these boundaries and describe how they can be challenged. By detailing five impactful articles and identifying others, they show that boundary-breaking, marketing-relevant consumer research can influence relevant stakeholders including academics in marketing and allied disciplines as well as a wide range of marketplace actors (e.g., business practitioners, policy makers, the media, society). Drawing on these articles, the authors articulate what researchers can do to break boundaries and enhance the impact of their research. They also indicate why engaging in boundary-breaking work and enhancing the breadth of marketing’s influence is good for both individual researchers and the fields of consumer research and marketing.

Researching Consumer Research. An Analysis of Consumer Researchers in Austria with Some Implications for the Scientific Field and Consumer Policy

Abstract Since over a decade, there are ongoing debates about the relationships between the scientific field of consumer research and the political field of consumer policy. To date, there exist theoretical overviews of the international state of the art in consumer research and its historical developments regarding topics, and theoretical and methodological advancements. There also exist few empirical studies which approached this field through content analysis of scientific articles, case studies or literature reviews. Nonetheless, prior research has yet neglected consumer researchers themselves and, above all, their stances toward consumer policy. To fill this gap, this article seeks to enhance knowledge about consumer researchers by presenting empirical results of a survey among Austrian consumer researchers. In contrast with previous research, this article relates its empirical findings to better understand how consumer research can become a more integrated and institutionalized research area, in Austria and elsewhere. As the results indicate, there are some commonalities in Austrian consumer research which may serve as a fertile ground for a closer integration of the field and which could enhance cooperation between the scientific and the political field. Yet, as this article shows, there also exist some obstacles, which may hinder such efforts. It concludes with some propositions for consumer research as a scientific field and discusses obstacles and prospects of a future collaboration between this scientific field and consumer policy. In doing so, this article seeks to contribute to the debate about a so-called “evidence-based” consumer policy suggesting that consumer policy can draw on a wide array of scientific perspectives and should not restrict itself to behavioural insights alone, a current trend in some European countries and in the European Commission. As will be shown, the Austrian case is furthermore informative to better understand internal and external (political) efforts to foster cooperation within consumer research and the relationship between consumer research and consumer policy.

Virtue Ethics Between East and West in Consumer Research: Review, Synthesis and Directions for Future Research

This literature review systematically synthesizes studies that link consumer research to differences and similarities in virtue ethics between the East and the West, with a focus on early Chinese and ancient Greek virtue ethics. These two major traditions provide principles that guide consumer behavior and thus serve as a background to comparatively explain and evaluate the ethical nature of consumer behavior in the East and the West. The paper first covers Eastern and Western theoretical and normative approaches of virtue ethics in the field of consumer research. The subsequent systematic literature review then synthesizes empirical works in this field. Since only a few papers adopt a cross-cultural consumer research perspective, one of the main aims of this review is to encourage scholars to pursue both theoretical and empirical cross-cultural consumer research on virtue ethics. To this end, the paper closes by suggesting some fruitful directions for future research to stimulate this relatively under-researched area.

Making market research reliable

Making market research reliable

Creating Boundary-Breaking Marketing-Relevant Consumer Research

Consumer research often fails to have broad impact on members of our own discipline, on adjacent disciplines studying related phenomena, and on relevant stakeholders who stand to benefit from the knowledge created by our rigorous research. We propose that impact is limited because consumer researchers have adhered to a set of implicit boundaries or defaults regarding what we study, why we study it, and how we do so. We identify these boundaries and describe how they can be challenged. We show that boundary-breaking marketing-relevant consumer research can impact relevant stakeholders (including academics in our own discipline and allied ones, and a wide range of marketplace actors including business practitioners, policymakers, the media, and society) by detailing five articles and identifying others that have had such influence. Based on these articles, we articulate what researchers can do to break boundaries and enhance the impact of their research. We also indicate why engaging in boundary-breaking work and enhancing the breadth of our influence is good for both individual researchers and the fields of consumer research and marketing.

Reproducing “rhetrickery” in online fertility marketing: harnessing the “rhetoric of the possible”

ABSTRACTThis article addresses the gap in research on visual and narrative persuasion in online fertility marketing contexts and reveals their reliance on rhetorical ruses embedded in the language of “choice” and “empowerment”. We assess four websites targeting women and men who have experienced infertility and expose their “digirhetrickery”, or use of deceptive rhetoric in digital space which exploits gendered stereotypes of the female body in ways that ultimately mislead their target markets about assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) and the “liberatory” potential they offer. We advance digital rhetoric as an analytical method to the field of consumer research in order to engage in a reflexive analysis that reveals these underhand ideological operations. As “authorial voices” and narrative agents in digital advertising discourse are more cunningly subterranean, this study shows how the instrumentalization of “consumer empowerment” has become increasingly hyperbolic with particularly problematic consequences for infertile women consumers.

THERAPEUTIC BUYING: A TEMPORARY RELIEF FOR AN EMOTIONAL DISEQUILIBRIUM AMONG WOMEN IN MUMBAI

“When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping.” This expression used as a part of an article, (Cotton Incorporated's Lifestyle Monitor™, 2002) look into the group that depicts a part of numerous contemporary consumers' ways of life, that is, shopping to ease a negative state of mind. This type of shopping is alluded to as retail or retail therapy. Retail therapy or compensatory is frequently connected in the observation to brighten oneself up through the buy of self-treats and additionally lacking self. The significance of the study is to identify the factors influencing the consumption behaviour among women with reference to retail therapy. Most of the research in this area belongs to socio-psychology, psycho-sociology and clinical psychology. The concrete and crystallized conceptual framework in the field of consumer research is very few. The complex theoretical background which lacks unified conceptual framework. Thus, the present research aims to understand the influence of selfconcept theories on consumption behaviour. The research question broadly focuses on the two major aspects of the study that is importance of self-discrepancy in understanding behavioural response in consumer behaviour. Another aspect is to investigate in detail the various moods and emotions related to retail among women. The research question of self-discrepancy has several sub-components ideal-self, self-incongruence, ought-self, satisfaction, dissatisfaction, dejection, disappointment and actual-self are analysed. The various emotions (described in the hypotheses section) related to consumption behaviour w.r.t retail which are aligned and relatable to self-discrepancy concepts are analysed to understand the relationship with the outcome-retail among women. The study uses the sequential transformative strategy of mixed method research. In the present study, the qualitative data is collected is followed by quantitative data collection. The qualitative approach includes in-depth interviews, focus group discussion and quantitative data collection was through the self-administered questionnaires. The study uses inferential analysis and structural equation modelling for the data analysis. The present work holds critical ramifications for consumers' well-being and prosperity. The findings propose that consumer’s uncovered passionate turbulence may be more inclined to overspending and sinking overwhelmingly into obligation because of their expanded eagerness to pay for status-related items. the consumption is both reactive and proactive which originates from self and terminates in consumption. This is cyclic and extends temporary relief.

Let’s get real: new continental philosophy’s methodological imperative

ABSTRACTThis paper elucidates the implications of the ontological turn within continental philosophy for social researchers. In my literature review, I focus on the work of Žižek, Badiou, and Ferraris, and I identify three challenges which we must address. First, their work demands increasingly realist approaches to social research. Building on this, the second challenge is to find a methodology which can serve this realist approach; here, I argue that critique of the critical theory tradition is most appropriate. The third and final challenge is to identify appropriate concrete methods. I do so and then provide an example of how these methods could be applied in the study of sustainable food production. Ultimately, I argue that the most important intervention is an ethical one, as this tradition compels us to produce knowledge which benefits the comparatively disadvantaged in society. I conclude with specific implications for my own field of consumer research.

Antecedents and consequences of private brand purchase

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review existing literature related to private label brands (PLBs) and to identify the antecedents and consequences involved in the private brand purchase.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a systematic review approach and identified 92 significant published articles between 1960 and 2016 for evaluation using SCOPUS database exclusively in the field of marketing. The journals that have published articles on purchase intention of PLBs are taken into consideration.FindingsThe authors provide a holistic framework on the purchasing behaviour of PLBs. The antecedents that emerged out of the most frequently studied factors are grouped as determinants of store brand proneness. The factors of consequences were categorised into loyalty factors along with the moderating variables as product category and retailer related attributes. These findings will serve as a twofold guide to retailers, i.e., help them gain an understanding of the target consumer group characteristics and design strategies to enhance the purchase of private label products.Research limitations/implicationsThis investigation considers only published research papers bearing the title of PLBs purchase.Originality/valueThis study is the first attempt of its kind of systematically reviewing the antecedents and consequences of PLB consumers. Both relevant published research and emerging research issues in the field of consumer research have been identified with a view to foster future research needs.